Submarine dredge.



Patented Oct. 2, I900.

6. A. OVERSTROM.

SUBMABINE DREDGE. (A umion filed Apr. 21, non.)

4 Shaots-$haet I.

(No Model.)

w 5 m w I m). 658,922. "Patented Oct. 2., I960.

/ a. A. ovsnsmom.

SUBMAMNE DREDGE.

(Application filed 'Apr. 21, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

DZDom U Gmf JZ Quersfrom,

No. 658,922. Patented Oct. 2, I900.

a. A. uvEnsTRom.

SUBMARINE DREDGE.

(Application filed Apr. 2!,. 1900) (NoJflodeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUST A. OVERSTROM, OF DEER LODGE, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO J. P. HANSON, OF BUTTE, MONTANA.

SUBMARINE DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 658,922, dated October 2, 1900.

Application filed April 21, 1900. serial No. 13,597, (N d l.)

To all whom, it may concern:

, Be it known that I, GUST A. OVERSTROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Deer Lodge, in the county of Deer Lodge and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Submarine Dredges .of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved submarine dredging mechanism for use in raising and delivering to the shore submerged beachsand and fine gravel adjacent thereto.

My invention is adapted more especially for dredging gold-bearing beach-sands and delivering them .to gold-saving apparatus on the shore, and is intended particularly for use in places where conditions render the employment of floating dredges impracticable. At

Cape Nome,Alaska, for example, beach-sands rich in gold extend from the edge of the tundra or frozen lands some distance--say two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet-out beyond the low-tide line, and while these beachsands have been worked at great profit from the tundra to the line of low tide no successful means have, so far as I am aware, been devised for dredging the submerged sands, for

the reason, more especially, that no floating erally stated, a hydraulic suction and force pump and operating-motor therefor mounted on a support, which is preferably a controllable float device. Suit-able pipe connections extend from the float device to an air-compressor on the shore, whereby the float device and machinery carried thereby may be caused to rise and descend or float at any desired depth below the' surface of the water.

A suitable discharge-pipe extends from the hydraulic pump to the shore, where it discharges into suitable gold-saving apparatus.

The hydraulic pump-operating motor may be of any suitable type, either electric, pneumatic, or otherwise, though I prefer to provide an electric motor operated from a dynamo on the shore. Means are also provided to be operated from the shore for moving the support or float device and machinery carried thereby, with its pipe connections, over a large area of the ground to be worked.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my improved apparatus in the form I prefer to provide, the illustrations showing it in operative position on a beach having the characteristics of the Cape Nome formation.

Figure l is a broken diagrammatic view of the outer portion of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 a similar view of the rest of the apparatus, the views being taken together'to represent the-whole; Figs. 3 and 4, central longitudinal sections of Figs. 2 and 1, respectively; Fig. 5, a vertical section taken longitudinally through the float device and showing its compartments and the motor and hydraulic pump, and-Fig. 6 a plan section of the float device.

A is a float device which I prefer to construct, as shown, with a central airtight compartment A the full height of the device, surrounded on four sides by an outer airtight compartment A In the lower side of the compartment A are a water-inlet valve a and a water-outlet valve 1), both provided with spring-seating means, as shown. Extending from the top of the compartment A is an air supply and exhaust pipe 0, running to the shore and there connecting with an air-compressor B. is an air supply and exhaust cock 0'.

Inthe compartment A is acentrifugal hydraulic pump O, which may be operated to run at a high speed and capable of raising and discharging the beach-sands with force sufficient to prevent the leaving behind of the heavier particles and nuggets of gold. The pump may be of any suitable type. In the construction shown it has a base d and a drive-shaft d, carrying a gear-wheel (1 Also mounted in the compa tment A is an electric motor D, having an armature-shaft d carry ing a pinion d in mesh with the gear-wheel (1 The suction-pipe O of the pump extends through a water-tight joint d in the base of Interposed in the pipe 0- the compartment, and swiveled to its outer end is a bent suction-nozzle G On thenoz' zle C at the swiveled joint is a wheel 0 to which is fastened operating-cables c. The cables 6 extend to a windlass e on the shore. By pulling upon one or the other of the cables (2 the operator on shore may turn the nozzle C in a circle in the horizontal plane. C" is the delivery-pipe of the pump extending to the shore and there emptying into the goldsaving device E, which may he a sluice-box, as shown. Fastened at intervals along the pipe 0 are suitable floats 0 which may be air-tight cylinders com municat ing, if desired, through pipes f with the compressor B on the shore. Interposed in the pipesfare air supply and exhaust cocks f. The connection between the pipe G and pump is through a length of flexible hose (1, and in order that the pipe maybe moved to different angles without disturbing its position at the sluiceboxanother length of flexible hose C is interposed therein on shore. Also interposed in the pipe upon the shore is a suitable expan sion-joint C whereby the pipe may be readily lengthened and shortened the extent of one length. On the shore is a portable steamengine F and dynamo F, insulated wires g extending from the dynamo to the motor D. Securely anchored at opposite edges of the working ground are snub-posts G, to which are secured pulleys or snatch blocks G. Cables G2 are fastened to the handles A on opposite ends of the float device and run through the snatch-blocks G to a Windlass G. on the shore. Adjacent to the windlass G are snub-posts and snatch-blocks G for guiding the cable. The air-supply pipes of may consist of lengths of gas-pipe and interposed lengths of flexible hose, whereby they may be readily lengthened and shortened and turned to different angles.

The apparatus may be placed in position in the general manner indicated in the figures. The compartment A of the float device is filled with air under pressure, so that it will float and be easily placed in a desired initial position, the pipe-floats 0 being also charged with compressed air to raise the pipe C and permit its ready adjustment. Air is then caused by the manipulation of the cooks cf to exhaust to the desired extent from the floats to decrease their displacement and allow the pipe C and float device A to settle gently down upon the beach-sand. As the air is permitted to escape from the float device water enters the compartment A through the valve a until the desired displacementis efiected. When it is desired to raise the float device, air under pressure is let into the chamher A to force the water out through the valve 1). The pipe-floats may be provided with inlet and outlet yalves like the valves (1 b, or, if desired,.,tliey may be simply air- 6 5"-ti g'ht vessels which prevent the pipe from settling too heavily upon the sand. When the motor and pump are started, the sand and water are drawn through the suction-nozzle O and discharged through the pipe G into the sluice-box E. Gradually the float device is allowed to settle down to the bed-rock and the nozzle is turned by means of the cable 6 to sweep around as desired and draw in its supply at diflerent angles, and thus from a comparatively large area.

The depth to which the float device is sunk renders it.- comparatively free from the disturbing action of the surf and tide-waves, it being also protected to a material extent by the wall of sand against which it is operated. The pipes extending in the outward direction from the shore present but little surface to the action of the surf and waves and the floats operate to sustain it sufiiciently to permit it to be easily shifted as desired. The cables G and pipes all tend to steady the float device in its operatireposition, and by means f the cables G the float device may be moved back and forth across the working ground, as desired. To render the matter of moving the float more easy, it may be mounted on casters 7c, as shown.

In practice the end of the nozzle 0 would be but about two feet below the intake of the pump, so that the force of the suction would easily raise quite heavy particles of gold and the force of the discharge would be sulficient to carry such particles to the shore. Were the pump located upon shore at the necessary elevation it would be impossible to obtain a current under suction force suflicieut to raise coarse particles of gold from the submerged bed-rock.

\Vliile I have shown the details of my improved apparatus in the form in which I now prefer to provide them, it is obvious that they may be variously changed to suit requirements without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a submerged support, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the support, a delivery-pipe extending from said pump to the shore, and means for moving the submerged support with the pipe across the ground to be worked.

2. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a submerged support, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the interposed flexible length, extending from said pump to the shore, and means for moving the submerged support with the pipe across the ground to be Worked.

4. In. a submarine dredge, the combination of a submerged support, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the support, a delivery-pipe, extending from the said pump to the shore, provided with interposed flexible and expansible lengths, and means for. moving the submerged support With the pipe across the ground to be worked.

5. In a submarine dredging apparatus, the combination of pulleys anchored at opposite edges of the ground to be worked, a submerged support, a suction and force pump, and anoperating-motor therefor on the support, a delivery-pipe extending from the said pump to the shore, and cables con neeted with the support. and extending over said pulleys to the shore, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a float device, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the float device, a delivery-pipe extending from the pump to the shore, and means for increasing and diminishing the displacement of the float device at will.

7. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a float device formed with an air-tight compartment having Water inlet and outlet valves, a compressed-air supplier communicating With said compartment and operating to let water in or force it out of said compartment, to increase or diminish the displacement of the float, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the float device, and a delivery-pipe extending from the pump to the shore.

8. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a float device, asuction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the float device, a delivery-pipe extending from the pump to the shore, means for increasing and diminishing the displacement of the float device at will, and means upon the shore connected with the float device for moving said device while submerged and with the delivery-pipe across the ground to be Worked;

9. In a submarine dredge, the combination of a float device, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the float device, a delivery-pipe extending from the pump to the shore, floats connected with the pipe, and means for increasing and diminishing the displacement of the float device at will.

10. In asubmarinedredge,the combination of a submerged support, a suction and force pump and an operating-motor therefor on the support, a suction-nozzle for the pump pivotally mounted upon the support and extending beneath the same, means connected with said nozzle and extending to the shore for turning the nozzle, and a delivery-pipe extending from the pump to the shore.

' :GUST A. OVERSTROM.

In presence of- M. D. KERN,

(J. M. SAW YER. 

